Lara Croft Being Sexualized “Is a Thing of the Past,” According to Rise of the Tomb Raider Writer

November 9, 2015
Written by Alex Co

If you’re old enough to remember the Tomb Raider from the PSOne days, then chances are, you know how Lara Croft had rather unrealistic proportions and was marketed for her polygonal boobs than anything else.

Well, good news! That’s not going to happen anymore according to Rise of the Tomb Raider writer, Rhianna Pratchett. In an interview, Pratchett explains how Lara being sexualized is a thing of the past, and how this sexualization of the video game character, turned her off from playing the series when she was younger.

The way Lara is marketed now is not sexualized…it’s still beautiful, it’s still strong, it’s still characterful, but it’s not sexualized in the way it was done before.

To be fair, a lot of the sexualization of Lara in the past has been solely for purposes of marketing, and it had a huge sway…As a young female gamer, I’ll admit that I was put off by that kind of marketing of Lara. It was very much like, ‘Hey I’m being sexy for boys here.’ I thought … I’ll go and play another game, then. That’s definitely something that’s very, very much in the past.

It’s definitely the right move for Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix, no? I mean, it’s not like people need to go far for some eye candy now.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is set for release tomorrow on Xbox platforms, with the PC and PS4 versions hitting late next year.